The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade summoned Ambassador David Pressman on Tuesday in response to US President Joe Biden’s statement, in which he had implicitly referred to Viktor Orbán as a dictator.
The Budapest Balkans Forum 2024 began with captivating discussions about the region’s future, featuring Hungarian government officials such as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, and Minister for EU Affairs János Bóka, among others.
Crucial milestones regarding the expansion of the nuclear plant in Paks are the construction of the containment structure and the reactor vessel, of which the former has been completed, while the manufacturing of the latter is set to commence shortly. It is expected to reach another milestone, the ‘first concrete’, by the end of this year.
Hungary and the European Space Agency have signed a framework agreement, paving the way for the Hungarian space research programme to be conducted in collaboration with the agency, making it a unique example in Europe.
Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is the frontrunner to become NATO’s next Secretary General, with the support of Washington, London, Berlin, and Paris. However, Hungary has expressed objections regarding the Dutch politician’s candidacy. As a consensus is required for his election, a Hungarian veto could potentially lead to Rutte’s downfall.
The Hungarian foreign minister appeared on a public radio programme on Sunday, and rebutted the statement by President Macron of France, per which he did not rule out deploying NATO troops in defence of Ukraine, pointing out that it is ‘diametrically opposed to joint decisions taken till now’.
In an interview with Italian public television, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated that he is appalled by how the Italian media has presented the Salis case, portraying the Antifa activist who beat innocent people last year as a martyr.
All but one EU Member State, Hungary, have condemned Israel’s potential ground invasion of Rafah, scheduled to happen if all hostages are not freed by the start of the Ramadan. This is not the first time the Orbán administration has stood up for Israel.
Hungary and Czechia have been the only members of the EU that have consistently declared support for the Israeli government, both before and since the 7 October massacres. Last December, they were among the ten nations that voted against a resolution at the UN General Assembly calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó was the guest speaker at the latest event of the International Speaker Series organized by the New York Young Republican Club on 7 February. After addressing the challenges Europe has been facing lately regarding the war, migration, and shrinking competitiveness, the minister answered several questions from the audience.
All MPs for the ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition, as well as some for the left-wing opposition, were absent from the extraordinary parliamentary session called for Monday, thus the vote on Sweden’s NATO membership did not meet the threshold to be legally binding. US Ambassador David Pressman was also present, but then left the House disappointed.
The deadliest forest fire on record in Chile’s history broke out last Friday, killing over 110 people. Foreign Minister of Hungary Péter Szijjártó has sent an open letter to his Chilean counterpart, expressing sympathies on his country’s behalf.
Péter Szijjártó welcomed the continuous development of bilateral economic relations and the breaking of export records. He also praised Qatar’s role in the release of some hostages abducted by Hamas, including three Hungarian citizens, and revealed that another Hungarian citizen might be held by terrorist organization and requested assistance from Qatar in facilitating their prompt return.
László Botka, the mayor of Szeged, called the signing historically significant for both the city and Hungarian economic history. He welcomed the close cooperation between the Szeged local government and the government on the matter, saying that the common goal is the quick construction of the factory.
All indications suggest that Viktor Orbán and Volodymyr Zelenskyy may soon be sitting down at the negotiating table. The parties have a multitude of contentious issues to discuss, beginning with the rights of the Hungarian community in Transcarpathia.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Máté Paczolay, stated: ‘The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade responded to the threat immediately. We have informed our representations in Ukraine and the Special Forces in charge of [the minister’s] personal security as well. They are all doing their jobs.’
On Thursday, the first commercial space mission composed exclusively of European astronauts was launched. In partnership with the Texas-based startup Axiom Space, Hungary will soon have the opportunity to send a man into space again.
Following the meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, Szijjártó disclosed that consultations have begun to ensure the success of Hungary’s rotating EU presidency in the latter half of 2024.
The strengthening of the energy ties between the three neighbouring countries is set to enhance the efficiency and profitability of trading and reinforce Hungary’s energy sovereignty.
Péter Szijjártó opined that, given all the elections taking place in the world from the United States to Europe, this year will be the political equivalent of the Super Bowl.
Péter Szijjártó pointed out that Hungary managed to achieve great results despite the fact that the global economy underwent significant crises last year, as indicated by global data. The amount of investments made worldwide decreased by 12.5 per cent from 2021 to 2022. In the first half of last year, an additional 30 per cent decrease was recorded.
BYD, the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer based in Shenzhen, China is opening a new factory in the southern Hungarian city of Szeged. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has called it ‘one of the biggest investment projects in Hungary’s history’.
The press release by the US DOS claimed that the newly established Sovereignty Protection Office of Hungary is a tool ‘that can be used to intimidate and punish those with views not shared by the ruling party’ and therefore it is ‘inconsistent with our shared values of democracy’. In response, PM Orbán stated that the US government should stop lecturing Hungary.
In a 4–3 decision, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that former POTUS Donald Trump’s name cannot appear on the ballot for the Republican primary election in the state in March, as, according to their interpretation, he engaged in an insurrection in January 2021. The Trump campaign has already announced that they would appeal to the US Supreme Court; and Hungarian Foreign Minister Szijjártó has denounced the decision.
According to a statement from the ministry, Péter Szijjártó stressed that the German-owned ZF Chassis Modules Hungary Ltd will manufacture shock absorbers, as well as front and rear axles for electric cars produced from 2025 at the BMW plant in Debrecen and the Mercedes plant in Kecskemét.
At the inauguration ceremony of the new unit at the Dunaharaszti plant of Coca-Cola HBC Hungary, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó highlighted that US companies now constitute the second largest community of investors in Hungary.
‘I asked my colleague to assist us in ensuring that the two [remaining] Hungarian nationals who hold dual citizenship can be released from captivity as soon as possible,’ Péter Szijjártó shared, adding that it is excellent news that one of the affected individuals is demonstrably alive and stressed the importance of locating the other person. He expressed the hope that both can return home as soon as possible.
Allowing alternative sources of fuel to Paks is a step closer to diversifying Hungary’s energy resources. Meanwhile, the French company Framatome is the expected winner of the proposal to develop the control hardware of the power plant.
All three Hungarian hostages, a woman and two girls, who have been held by Hamas since 7 October have regained their freedom.
During a debate in the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Szijjártó of Hungary argued that the international community should focus on trying to improve the conditions in the migrants’ countries of origin instead of hosting them in more developed foreign countries. He also suggested that migration should be examined from a security, not a humanitarian perspective.
Hungarian Conservative is a quarterly magazine on contemporary political, philosophical and cultural issues from a conservative perspective.